Less than two years afterwards accompaniment voters accustomed it, some analysts accept Florida’s pot industry will top $1 billion by 2020 — and that has abounding investors and job seekers seeing green.

“We absolutely are activity to be one of the bigger administration in the region,” said George Scorsis, CEO of Liberty Health Sciences, a $250-million all-embracing aggregation and one of a scattering of businesses in Florida accustomed to accurately abound and advertise cannabis.

As about 3,000 new patients are accustomed to use medical marijuana in Florida anniversary week, state-of -the-art agronomics accessories are beginning up all over the accompaniment to accumulate up with the demand.

“It wasn’t a secret. It was acclimated hundreds of years ago for so abounding ailments. And now it is advancing aback to the beginning of absolute medicine,” Scorsis said. “There are bodies who are afraid by that actual word: marijuana. We charge to de-stigmatize this absolute industry. Come to Florida and appear see that this is for absolutely medicine.”

Scorsis took News4Jax inside his abound house in Alachua County and showed us the absolute action from berry to sale. Numerous strains of the bulb are developed there, and Scorsis says anniversary one has its own benefits.

“The annual is area the alive capacity actually, primarily reside,” he said.

After the plants are harvested, they are taken to the lab area scientists cull out the alleviative elements.

“So back our oils appear out of the extractor, they appear out in awkward form,” Talaal Rshaidat, administrator of addition at Liberty Health Sciences, showed us.

Lab workers accomplish it into anesthetic in altered forms including contemporary creams, oils and vaporizers with and after the psychoactive additive THC, which can accomplish patients high.

Products are again awash at the company’s dispensaries or delivered chargeless anywhere in Florida.

“Using it has absolutely fabricated me accept how able this is, how able it is, and ultimately, that it is a medicine,” said Scorsis, who is accustomed for medical marijuana himself and uses the contemporary cream.

Not aloof anyone can get medical marijuana. In Florida, patients must get a advocacy from a certified doctor for condoning altitude like:

Patients charge administer for a Medical Marijuana Use Registry Identification Card from the Department of Health. (For abetment with your appliance or a cachet on your submitted application, alarm 800-808-9580.)

As of this month, Florida has 172,848 registered users, and 80-year-old Lois Stratton is one of them.

“I’m not as anemic activity as I was,” said Stratton, who is aggressive Parkinson’s ache and COPD.

But like abounding others adjoin to medical marijuana, Stratton believed it was bad.

“When they told me the oil was fabricated from marijuana I was like, ‘I don’t apperceive about that,'” she said

We met Stratton at the admirable aperture for the Curaleaf medical marijuana berth on Jacksonville’s Westside — one of 55 locations accustomed by the state.

“You’re seeing added and added acutely appear up because the appeal from patients,” said Michelle Terrell, Curaleaf’s administrator of marketing.

And that appeal is advancing from children, too. Under Florida’s Amendment 2, accouchement can additionally be accountant to use medical marijuana.

“With CBD and medical marijuana, I have been able to ascendancy myself,” 13-year-old Thomas Lee said.

Thomas tells us it’s been like “night and day” back he started application medical marijuana for his ADHD, abacus it is way bigger than acceptable medication. Thomas’ father, a above badge officer, agrees.

As added patients like Thomas Lee and Lois Stratton use cannabis, added and added marijuana jobs are beginning up.

Knox Medical continues to aggrandize its accessories in Winter Garden, Florida, bearing cannabis that’s awash all over the state.

Near Gainesville, Liberty Health Sciences is architecture what will be the bigger agronomics ability in Florida. It’s a 250,000-square-foot ability with advanced technology that CEO George Scorsis says agency hundreds of new jobs to serve bags of medical marijuana patients.

And they’re hiring for a cardinal of altered positions — aggregate from gardeners to accountants to scientists to commitment drivers and pay at Liberty Health Sciences ambit from $11 an hour to $140,000 a year. Some companies alike say salaries can top $250,000.

Curaleaf confirms it’s growing too, with affairs to accept added than 600 advisers by the end of 2019.

HempStaff, LLC, helps abode bodies in cannabis companies. We batten to HempStaff CEO James Yagielo, who says for bodies attractive for employment — alike for college advantageous jobs in the industry — the jobs will be there.

“We do adumbrate there will be about 5,000 cannabis advisers in Florida, and you know, that’s only medical,” he said. “If (job seekers) are attractive for that adept agriculturalist or adept processor, they may want, you know, bachelors, masters, some of alike requested Ph.D. for these bodies that are advantageous a $150,000 salary.”

Florida law states advisers in the medical marijuana industry cannot accept a abomination conviction, and according to Yagielo, recreational biologic users shouldn’t administer either.

“I would say about 50 percent of companies, apparently added in Florida, absolutely biologic analysis their antecedent employees. So if you analysis positive, and you don’t accept your medical marijuana card, that could be a problem,” he said.

How Do I Get A Medical Marijuana Card In Florida? – Florida .. | florida marijuana card

There is still a lot to be ample out with Florida’s medical marijuana industry. For example, it is still actionable on a federal akin which agency medical marijuana companies cannot put their money in federally-insured banks.

And, patients are amenable for all the costs. Medical marijuana is not covered by allowance — with abounding of the articles costing about $100. Plus, best patients pay about $150-$200 for the doctor’s appointment to get the medical marijuana advocacy and again if approved, the authorization is $75.

As it stands in Florida, patients are not accustomed to smoke medical marijuana and aliment are additionally adjoin the law.